Make It Monday!

So, I have missed a few Mondays, lol. I have been busy creating, just not necessarily on Monday. I did the rings before we evacuated for Irma, but could not get a blog post done. The others I did after we returned, sporadically, when I got a chance. Now that we are back to homeschooling, Mondays might be any day of the week.

 I finally got my crochet hooded poncho completed, and I love it. It is so warm. It is not for me, though, lol. It is available for purchase in my Etsy shop, and can be made to order in other colors. The rings are also listed in my Etsy shop, two Zandrite, and one Amethyst. You can always find me by searching Missy69 on Etsy, Mrr05 on Ebay, and Missy69 on Redbubble. Which reminds me the last item is my Halloween painting for 2017, Bat Kisses. This one is an edited version of the original painting, using photo shop features. I edited it several times, with some cool looks. All of them will eventually be available on gift items on Redbubble.

 I have started a new crochet project, which should go pretty fast, I hope. I have a new ring setting coming, and it is getting cool enough to start back up with wood burning projects, and etched glass projects. Just in time for the Holidays!

Upcycle Old or Broken Jewelry

One of the things I love to do, is to take broken or old jewelry and upcycle it into new and beautiful jewelry. I am always looking for tutorials, and ideas to do this. Below is a video with ideas for purse bling using broken jewelry. Check it out!

 

Crochet Bracelet Tutorial

This is super pretty with the Mardi Gras variegated yarn. I might give this one a try.

Amazonite Gemstone!

I finally have some extra time to resume my posts about gemstones. I am trying to go in alphabetical order. Amazonite, a gemstone that I love. It is usually in bead form, sometimes carvings too. As stated in the video below the more greenish variety is from Russia. I prefer the ocean blue stones, that look a lot like Aquamarine beads, but much more affordable. I believe it to be a natural gemstone, as I have found no info about enhancements. It is a member of the Feldspar family, and only has a hardness of about 6. Because of that, I would probably use these beads in earrings, or necklaces. Maybe a bracelet, with warning about being careful when wearing. I probably would not put it into a ring. The short video below gives some nice info about Amazonite.

Join Me In July for A 30 Day Art Challenge 2016

So, there are several different types of Art:  Painting, Drawing, Music, Writing, Crochet, Knitting, Jewelry Making, Photography etc.  Below I have compiled a 30 Day Art Challenge of things I would like to do, or specific things   I  really want to improve on.  I won't be doing this until July, because then we will be done homeschooling, but you can start anytime.  I may use any of the artistic ways I mentioned above.  I will be posting my items, here on this blog.  If you have a blog, and would like to feature each other, message me in the comments, and a way to get a hold of you.  I finished up some new art projects today, that I am working on perfecting, but until July I will not be doing anymore new painting projects.  Here is my perfect 30 day art challenge:

Day 1:  Clouds
Day 2:  Dragonflies
Day 3:  Lightning Bugs
Day 4:  Freedom
Day 5:  Flowers in a vase
Day 6:  Ladybugs and zentangle flower
Day 7:  The Wild
Day 8:  Violence      This one will be a real challenge for me
Day 9:  Someplace you would love to visit
Day 10:  Fear
Day 11:  Change the world and be happy
Day 12:  Upcycling
Day 13:  Dreams
Day 14:  Two tone palette    This one will also be a real challenge for me
Day 15:  Holy being
Day 16:  Hot
Day 17:  Cold
Day 18:  Rain
Day 19:  Snow
Day 20:  Cityscape
Day 21:  Music
Day 22:  Superhero
Day 23:  Quotes
Day 24:  Fantasy/Dragons/Fairy/Mermaid
Day 25:  Gothic        Another challenging one for me
Day 26:  Dancer or Gymnast
Day 27:  Broken
Day 28:  Education
Day 29:  Historical Event
Day 30:  Trees
Day 31:  Relax and breathe

The Birthstone for May: Emeralds

I love so many gemstones, but I truly love Emeralds. I love the brighter green hues, more than the darker hues. I do not currently have any Emerald left in my loose gemstone collection, but I hope to start accumulating some again, soon. Emerald is the birthstone for May, and my daughter's birthstone. The short video below gives you a small bit of info about Emeralds. I probably have others I have shared over the years. You can just search for Emeralds on my search bar, and they will come up.  The video below was created by Kay Jewelers. 

Happy June! Pearl Is the Birthstone for June

Well, pearls and Alexandrite. I don't have any Alexandrite, sadly, to share with you. But, I have some pearl items to share. The bracelet shown is faux pearls, as is most of my jewelry pieces. Why? Because real pearls, are not as stable, hard to care for, and fragile. However, I should say every woman should own at least one beautiful set of genuine real pearls. I have some, but don't get to wear them much. This multi colored faux pearl bracelet is available in my Etsy store, with free shipping. Check it out.

 I had a very fruitful day today. What crafting fun I had. I got two pairs of new flip flops painted, a couple crochet items, and a very special, and adorable Father's Day painting drawn out. I hopefully will get it painted this week. Stay tuned for all those items, and be sure to check out my Etsy store. 

Getting Ready For the Holidays and Some Odds and Ends

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  So, this blog will be changed to all pink for the month of October. 

As you probably know the holidays are quickly approaching.  I have been racking my brain feverishly thinking of all the things I want to create by then.  I don't think I have enough time, lol.  I just finished a crocheted orange and black blanket that I absolutely love.  I used a different method for changing colors and it was so much easier.  It will be in my Etsy store tomorrow.  I must tell you if you are a Cincinnati Bengals fan, or love tigers you might want to check it out.  My goal, eventually, is to make a crocheted blanket in every color combo for every football team. 

To help my readers, and followers on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook, I will be doing a flash sale every day until December.  There will be a different special each day.  To ensure I do not attract re sellers, my jewelry pieces will not get drastically marked down.  Sorry, but if there is something I can't stand is someone buying something they did not create with the soul purpose of selling it for more.  My Twitter is @melissasjewelry, Pinterest is iaminterested, and Facebook Melissa's Menagerie of Stuff.  Look me up and follow along.  I will not be posting all the flash sales here on this blog, so you will have to follow along in one of the other places.  It will show up on the Facebook widget on this page, so you could still visit this blog and find it easy enough. 

Speaking of jewelry.  I was so happy to see some of the jewelry casting sellers, that I used to buy from on Ebay, selling on Etsy.  Though I am currently learning new ways to create jewelry, I have always loved and been drawn to traditional settings.  So, I will definitely be making some new pieces using those traditional settings.  Just not sure when, lol.  I guess you will  have to visit this blog often and find out. 

I have noticed one thing, about Etsy.  There is a whole group of people who do not think that making jewelry with traditional settings is handmade.  Trust me I can tell you hand setting gemstones in those settings is for sure handmade.  Maybe I don't melt the silver, and then cast the setting myself, but I do hand set the gemstones, and it is not easy, and it takes a long time to learn how to do it too.  It is a craft, and if they want to be rude so be it. 

How to Make Bezels for Resin Jewelry

I love this tutorial, though I don't care for how she finished the pieces off. I hope to be able to experiment with this procedure.

Lilac Amethyst and A New Venture

I am considering a new venture that has to do with sales, and jewelry, but not jewelry that I make. I have not decided for sure yet, but it is looking promising. I will of course continue to make my own, as well. Also, every time I share something on this blog, I will offer advertising space. I will be working on my blogs, and all free ads that did not reciprocate the agreement to share my blog will be removed. I will be doing no more free ads. I will do guest posts, if you have something to offer that is on topic with this blog, paid banners, and paid text ads. If you are interested in any of those things, contact me in the comments with your contact info and I will get back to you. Please do not spam this blog, or my email address, because I will ignore you and spam comments will be removed. Everyone knows what spam is. Were you born in February? Then your birthstone is the lovely purple Amethyst. The ring shown below, can be purchased in my Etsy store, and is a lovely Lilac Amethyst with red rubies along the shoulders.

What I Have Learned About Resin So Far, and Cute Tiger Cub Peace Sign Pendant

I did my fourth pour of resin, this week. What have I learned so far? One, I really like the creativity afforded to me with the resin. Two, the silicone molds are much easier to use than the plastic molds. Three, do not let the water boil, before you put the bottle of resins in to warm it. This causes the resin to become too hot and immediately begin to set. I had to waste some resin, and I don't like to waste anything. I made a couple of ponytail holders, and some pendants this week. Some, I have listed as just cabochons for jewelry making. If after one cycle they don't sell, on Etsy, I will make them into jewelry pieces. After that cycle they will go in my Ecrater store, and not Etsy. Why? Because, Ecrater has no fees, and why should I continue to pay fees if I don't have to, right? Anyway this piece is just so adorable. It is a tiger cub holding a peace sign embedded into clear resin and then a pendant bail added. I made this bail using a silver headpin. It is available to purchase in my Etsy store. All of my Etsy pieces will eventually be in my Ecrater store. My older jewelry pieces, and my moms beaded cell phone cases can be found in my Ecrater store only.

No More Painting

Well not really, lol.  The kids will be taking a break from Art class, and I will continue to paint my gift bags.  I want to get all my paintings framed, so no new large pieces will be done for a while.  Along with the gift bags, I will be practicing my strokes, flowers, and other items I need to practice and making some new jewelry pieces.  Those are my goals for the next few weeks.  I will share all that I do.  Be sure to check out my fancy new widgets that showcase some of my items in my nice shiny new Ecrater store.  Most are the same that were in my Etsy store, but some never before seen items as well.  Check me out and buy some ultra special hand made gifts this year.

How to Wire Wrap A Stone Setting

Check out this video on wire wrapping.  I can not wait to try this one.  

Sold White Topaz and Blue Topaz Rings

Nothing like have two sales in one day, woo hoo! Both of these rings were one of a kinds, and are both sold out. Be sure to check my store using the widget above, so you don't miss out on the painting, crochet item, or jewelry piece that you love.

How To Wire Wrap A Faceted Gemstone

I have been so busy learning to paint and crocheting a lot, that I have not had time to make much jewelry. I love this video on how to wire wrap a faceted gemstone. I hope to give this one a try soon. This is for a pear shaped gemstone, but I am sure once you learn the technique you could modify it for any shape gemstone.

Featured Artist: Shanghai Tai

This is a Share the Love Bloggers Unite post. Each week the On Fire For Handmade team picks an artisan to feature. I try to remember to do these each week, but unfortunately life gets to busy and I miss some. Lucky for you, I remembered this week. Here is a small bio on Shanghai Tai:

Shanghai Tai is this weeks Featured Artist on Share the Love, Blogger’s Unite. My journey in jewelry-making began in Shanghai, China. While living there I learned about pearls; first buying pearl jewelry while shopping with the other tai tais (wives), then designing my own personal jewelry and having it made by the shops there, and buying a variety of pearls. With my family I also traveled extensively in China in addition to other parts of Asia. After returning to the U.S., I began taking jewelry classes in order to use the large supply of pearls I had accumulated. My shop is named “Shanghai Tai” because one tai character means “too”, as in “too much”, “too expensive”, like “extreme”. Two of the same character together though, is tai tai, which means “wife” or “Mrs.” To me, Shanghai Tai represents the lifestyle that western expat women live in Asia. My designs often have an Asian influence as a result of my many travels and exposure to Eastern cultures.


 She is very well versed in the many types of jewelry making. From glass to wire, even metal and clay. She can make pretty much anything you might want. She can be found on many venues where handmade items are sold including, Blog, Artfire, Pinterest, her own website and Facebook.

So you can see there are a variety of ways for you to see and love her work.  I love the pearls, they are my absolute favorite.  So special and precious, soft and beautiful. 

How To Make Halloween Jewelry

Check out this cool tutorial. I have never heard of this, it is called Art Gel, and you can make cool Halloween jewelry with it. I love this!

Star Sapphire Real, or Treated

Sapphire, one of the most precious gemstones in the world. It has a hardness of 9, making it extremely durable. Most sapphires are treated in some way. Either through heat treatment, diffusion, or other accepted treatments. Star sapphires are a phenomenon gemstone. The star is actually an inclusion, formed by rutile needles which when aligned will form a six ray star. The way the stone is cut, is important to centering the star. There are manmade star sapphires namely Linde Star Sapphires. This star sapphire was sold to me as a loose gemstone, and was sold to me as a natural gemstone, meaning no treatment. The picture was taken under a good light source, so the star can be clearly seen. Under poor lighting, or other than natural light sources, the star looks washed out, and difficult to see. It has good movement, and is not just fixed to center of the stone. It does have very straight legs, which may be suspicious to treatment. I set it in a sterling silver filigree design setting. It is a size 6. I actually have two of these, one I kept for myself. I kept my price reasonably low, in case it is not natural as advertised to me. Even a synthetic star sapphire has value, and is beautiful, and appealing on the hand. If the star has a four legged ray, it is most likely a Star Diopside, not a star sapphire, a collectible, and valuable stone in its own right. This lovely ring is available for purchase in my Etsy store, for 34.99

Caitlin's First Jewelry Pieces

My daughter Caitlin, just turned 5. She loves Hello Kitty, and I purchased the cute ring from Avon, some years ago, and put it away for her. It will be a Xmas gift, yes Xmas already, for her. The bracelet I made for her, and it too will be put away for Xmas. It is a pink mother of pearl, and green freshwater pearl bracelet made using wire, and findings. It measures about 4 1/2 inches, and might be still a little big for her by Xmas, but I hope it will fit by then. She is very petit. I hope she loves these, and starts her love of jewelry, and gemstones.

My First Attempt At Chainmaille

I blogged about this lovely Island Rights Wood Pendant, last week. This lovely pendant is from Artbeads. While deciding what I wanted to do with this lovely pendant, I came across some blogs about Chainmaille. I thought it looked interesting, and would give it a try. I found these lovely colored jumprings, they are aluminum, not sterling silver, or gold. The pretty blue ones are 10mm, and the soft green ones, are 8mm. I assembled them together to make the necklace, and drop for the pendant. I did not use any tools, when assembling the necklace. This is rough on your hands, but it assures that I do not scratch the jumprings. I am not overly pleased with the results of the pictures, as it does not show the beauty of the colored rings. I will be taking more pictures today, to post tomorrow. This lovely necklace, will be available for sale in my Etsy shop for 49.99 You can also purchase it here through my blog, by contacting me at darien04@gmail.com for details.

I really enjoyed the Chainmaille, and will be looking for more designs to try.